Three Thunder Bay pharmacists facing misconduct allegations by OCP

Three pharmacists at a Thunder Bay, Ont. pharmacy are being investigated for misconduct by the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP). The pharmacists are linked to the Fort William medical Pharmacy in south Thunder Bay. Two of the pharmacists, manager Jaspreet Sahota and Chi (Hao) Luu, were already under investigation from the OCP for allegations of misconduct that allegedly happened between January and May 2023. These allegations were reported to the OCP in 2024 and now the two pharmacists also facing additional misconduct allegations. According to the OCP’s Summary of Allegations, Sahota failed to manage the pharmacy, supervise staff and implement policies, allowed unregulated staff do not perform controlled acts, had the pharmacy open without a pharmacist present, did not maintain and/or complete accurate records, allowed unregulated staff to measure, verify, dispense and/or witness prescriptions for opioid agonist therapy (OAT), did not protect narcotics and/or controlled substances from loss or theft, did not properly refrigerate doses of methadone and/or label carry doses to indicate that they must be refrigerated by the patient and dispensed prescriptions without a valid authorization.The allegations against Luu are similar, but also include allowing unregulated staff to sign records and process prescriptions to falsely indicate that he had dispensed verified prescriptions, sign falsified records himself and failing to verify the last dose of OAT patients had before dispensing such medications. The OCP have also recently made new allegations regarding Luu, Sahota and a third pharmacist, Alamgir (Alam) Hallan. Referred to the college on March 24, these new allegations accuse the three of falsifying claims for payment to the Ontario Drug Benefit Program for MedsCheck services (a government program that reimburses pharmacists for reviewing a patient’s medication and making sure they’re taken properly) that were not conducted, falsifying records for MedsCheck services and failing to keep records as required for MedsCheck. According to the OCP, this misconduct happened between October 2021 and May 2023. In an interview with the CBC, Hallan says that he “acknowledge[s] the allegations under review by the Ontario College of Pharmacists,” and calls the allegations “unfounded” and says he will be disputing them.Sahota will face disciplinary hearings for the original set of allegations on April 22; Luu will face hearings on May 5. Hannan’s hearing and subsequent hearings related to the new allegations against Sahota and Luu are not yet scheduled. As of April 9, Fort William Medical Pharmacy is still “entitled to operate,” according to the OCP. However, the allegations against the Sahota are listed under “concerns.”

Three Thunder Bay pharmacists facing misconduct allegations by OCP

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